Mail-distributing device



R. I. AND I. W. H. HANKINS.

MAIL DISTRIBUTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED um. 10, I9I9.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

7% 6 7' 2" sum:

R. 1. AND I. W. H. HANKINS. MAILDISTRIBUTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED OCT-10,1919.

Patehted May 11,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

ROBERT J. HANKINS AND ISAAC W. H.

HANKINS, OF TAZEWELL, VIRGINIA.

MAIL-DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Patented May 11, 1920- Application filed 0ct0ber 10, 1919. Serial No. 329,731.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ROBERT J. HANK- INS and-Isxxc TV. H. Hxxxrxs, citizens of the United .itates, residing at Tazewell, in

'the county of Tazewell, State of Vir inia,

nave invented a new and useful Mail-Dis tributing Device; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use same.

The invention relates to mail distributing devices and has for its objects to provide a motor driven series of boxes, said boxes being driven by a motor located between the boxes and to provide means operated by the wheels of the various boxes, so that a box at one station in which mail is deposited may bepicked up and carried by the forward end of the series of boxes and the box at the rear end left in the place of the positec picked up box. The system is a circuitous one and each box of the series leaves a station loaded and returns empty.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings 2- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the series of mailboxes showing number 6 mail box having been taken up and number 6 de- Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe wheel actuated uncoupling mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the wheel actuated uncoupling mechanism.

Fig. e is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the un coupling mechanism carried by the cars.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates a supported horizontal track bed and 2 the rails thereon, thereby forming an elevated track which starts at the post office or any other station and passes various houses and terminates at its starting point. Mounted on the track is a motor 3, which motor is adapted to be electrically driven and to be disposed between two series of boxes l; and 5, boxes 1 being in front of the motor and are pushed thereby, while boxes 5 are behind the motor and are coupled together and pulled by the motor. The boxes 5 are numbered consecutively from one up and the boxnumb'ered 1 is adjacent the motor. Boxes 4 are consecutively numbered, however the high number is adjacent the motor, this for the reason that as the high number is picked up by the motor in the series 4:, the high number in the series 5 is dropped. The train of boxes which are'mounted on wheels makes the circuit of the various houses going in the direction of the arrow a as shown in Fig. 1 where itwill be observed that the box numberedfi'has been picked up in the series 1 and the box numbered 6 which is empty has been uncoupled and left in front'of a house. The boxes of each series areprovided with apertured lugs 7 forming coupling means between each box. Pivoted as at 8 on one end of each box is a bell crank lever 9, the arm 10 of which is provided with a lug 11 adapted tov pass through the. apertured lugs 7 for coupling the cars together. Bell crank lever 9 has its arm 12 provided with a right angle portion 13, which, extends outwardly so as to be engaged by a transversely movable arm 14; against the action of the spring 15, thereby rocking the arm 10 downwardly and uncoupling the boxes, there being a stop 16 for limiting the upward movement of the arm 10. Arm 14 cams pass the right angle arm 13 and the arm 17 which is simultaneously rocked with wheel of the box thereby breaking its momentum and stopping the same.

The uncoupling of the boxes is accomplished through mechanism operated by the boxes, said mechanism comprising a tread 18 which tread is of greater length than the wheel base of the boxes. .The arm s14 and 17 being normally in vertical or operated position, however as the wheels of the forward box pass on to tread 18, arms 14 and 17 are rocked outwardly thereby allowing the cars to pass through after having taken up the empty car. However, the forward end 19 of the tread 18 is sufiiciently spaced from the arms 14: and 17 to allow said arms to come up into a vertical position immediately before the coupling mechanism carried by the last car reaches them and after the wheels of the last box at its rear end have passed off of the end 19 of the tread 18 the arm 14 comes intoengagement withthe the same without being uncoupled.

which will cause the arms 17 and 1a to come to their vertical positions so as to uncouple the last car and break the momentum of the same. Tread 18 is pivotally mounted on links 20 and 21 as at 22 said links being pivoted as at 23 to one of the tracks 2. Link 21 has a downwardly extending arm 24 to the lower end of which is pivotally connected as at 25 a connecting rod 26, the other end of which is pivotally connected as at 27 to the arm 28 of a pivoted lever 29. The pivoted lever 29 is pivoted as at 30, and is provided with oppositely arranged arms 31, which arms are adapted to be rocked in opposite directions so as to rock the longitudinally disposed shafts 32 which are mounted in bearings 33 of lugs 34: carried by the under faces of the rails 2. The rocking of the shafts 32 is accomplished through the connecting rods 35 the outer ends of which are pivoted as at 36 to downwardly extending arms 37 carried by the shafts 32. Arms 14 and 17 are carried by the rockable shafts 32. It will be seen that when the tread 18 is forced downwardly by the wheel flange that arms 14: and 17 will move outwardly and as long as the wheel flanges are passing over the tread 18 said arms 14 and 17 will be maintained in their outward position thereby allowing the boxes to pass by However after the wheels at the rear end of the last box have cleared the end 19 of the tread, the spring 38 which is connected as at 39 to one of the arms 31 and as at 4:0 to the underface of one of the rails will cause the rock able lever 29 to return to normal position against the stop 11 thereby rocking the shafts 32 and bringing the arms 1a and 17 to a substantially vertical position in which position the arm let will contact with the right angled arm 13 of the uncoupling lever and thearm 17 will be in position to engage the tread portion of the forward wheel of the last car. As the movement of the arms 14- and 17 takes place immediately before the arm 13 engages the arm lland immediately after the rear wheels of the last box leaves the end 19 of the tread 18, it will be seen that the last box will be uncoupled and left at its station.

From the above it will be seen that a mail collection and distributing system is provided wherein any number of boxes may be used and one wherein the empty box at a station will be picked up and a full box uncoupled and left at the same station.

The invention having been set forth what is claimed as new and useful is 1. An uncoupling device adapted to be actuated by the wheels of a series of wheeled receptacles mounted on a track, said uncoupling device comprising a tread member adapted to be forced down by the wheels of the series of wheeled boxes, said tread moving out of registration with uncoupling mechanisms carried by the wheeled receptacles, arms which are normally in registration therewith and means whereby as the wheels of the rear wheeled receptacle pass out of engagement with the tread said uncoupling means will be thrown into registration with the uncompling means of the last car.

. 2. An uncoupling mechanism for uncoupling the lastwheeled receptacle of a train of wheeled receptacles, said mechanism comprising a wheel operated tread, a connecting rod actuated by said tread and connected to a rockable pivoted member and adapted to rock the same, connecting rods having their ends pivoted to said rockable pivoted mem her and their outer ends pivoted to arms. said last named arms being carried by rock able shafts disposed adjacent each rail, up" standing arms carried by said rockable shafts and adapted to engage uncoupling mechanism carried by the last car in the train and one of said upstanding arms actuating the uncoupling mechanism of the receptacles, the other arms being adapted to engage the wheel treads and break the momentum of the receptacle and spring means whereby said arms will be brought to their vertical positions after the wheels of the wheeled receptacles pass from the tread.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT J. HANKINS. ISAAC V. H. I-IANKINS. \Vitnesses E. H. Pmnon, T. C. BOW'EN. 

